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Mar 21, 2013
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president obama says he's skeptical assad used chemical weapons. >> we have been clear that the use of chemical weapons guess against the syrian people would be a mistake. >> by the way, netanyahu agrees with president obama on syria conservatives tried to use our relationship with israel to grab votes. they accused president obama of not getting it. and some called him the most antiisrael president in history. bb set the record straight. >> i want to thank you for the investment you've made in our relationship and strengthening the alliance between our countries. the president has reaffirmed more than any other president, israel's right and duty to defend itself against any threat. so it's a pro found honer to host you, the leader of the free world, at this historic time in our ancient capital. welcome to israel. >> let's turn to policy analyst for the center for american progress. let me start with you. we see these conciliatory gestures being offered by prime minister netanyahu, but that's different than the lecture he gave to obama in his own digs in the white house. what accounts
president obama says he's skeptical assad used chemical weapons. >> we have been clear that the use of chemical weapons guess against the syrian people would be a mistake. >> by the way, netanyahu agrees with president obama on syria conservatives tried to use our relationship with israel to grab votes. they accused president obama of not getting it. and some called him the most antiisrael president in history. bb set the record straight. >> i want to thank you for the...
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Mar 18, 2013
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the human cost of assad's actions are horrific. and we struggle with the human toll and hearing these stories from the region, about innocent people that are suffering. so what the president has done is rejected this notion that either we arm them or we're not supporting them. there's been enormous diplomatic effort put behind helping the opposition. there's been considerable money, hundreds of millions of dollars in humanitarian relief and nonlethal assistance to the opposition. we simply haven't taken a step towards a military intervention. that's because there are second and third-tier conventisequence that decision that are enormous. we're in the tenth-year anniversary to the iraq war and we have to remember that the consequences were far-reaching and 150,000 troops couldn't stop a sectarian war. so we'll continue to work on and think about ways to help the opposition. and the president has put a lot of effort behind this. >> nature abhors a vacuum and once you topple assad, what happens next. aaron, what do the president want
the human cost of assad's actions are horrific. and we struggle with the human toll and hearing these stories from the region, about innocent people that are suffering. so what the president has done is rejected this notion that either we arm them or we're not supporting them. there's been enormous diplomatic effort put behind helping the opposition. there's been considerable money, hundreds of millions of dollars in humanitarian relief and nonlethal assistance to the opposition. we simply...
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Mar 20, 2013
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i agree that the chemical weapons use, and certainly proven to be true by the assad regime changes the calculation significantly in terms of sort of laying the setting the table for more aggressive and explicit and direct u.s. military involvement. >> being a washington pooh-bah as you are, two pooh-bahs, you know, is there political capital for the president to take a stronger line on syria? i mean, would he have bipartisan support on that? >> no, because they have exhausted so much of their energy on iraq and afternoon. now, whether or not you can, you know, persuade bipartisan elites in washington to eventually go along with the president if he really wanted to is a different question. these folks do tend to fold pretty quickly on matters of narc security. >> and -- roughly the same number of people have died in the conflict in mexico, of 0,000 or so, so if people dying violently is for the u.s. army a reason to go into the country to do thing, think why aren't we in mexico, occupying that country? >> i think, as curt says, it's an inflection point, if you will, when it's the govern
i agree that the chemical weapons use, and certainly proven to be true by the assad regime changes the calculation significantly in terms of sort of laying the setting the table for more aggressive and explicit and direct u.s. military involvement. >> being a washington pooh-bah as you are, two pooh-bahs, you know, is there political capital for the president to take a stronger line on syria? i mean, would he have bipartisan support on that? >> no, because they have exhausted so...
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briefings the chairs of both the house and senate intelligence committees say they believe president assad has crossed the so-called red line in the civil war. >> i think the days are becoming more desperate, the regime is more desperate. we know where the chemical weapons are. it's not a secret that they're there. and i think the probabilities are very high that we're going into some very dark times. and i think the white house needs to be prepared. >> i have a high probability to believe that chemical weapons were used. we need the final verification. given everything we know over the last year and a half, i would come to the conclusion that they are either positioned for use and ready to do that or in fact, have been used. both of those scenarios i think we need to step up in the community to prevent a humanitarian disaster we haven't seen since 25 years ago in iraq. >>> lindsey graham also spoke saying the, we need to come up with a plan to secure these weapons sites, either in con skwrupgz with our partners or if anything else by ourselves. if the choice is to send in troops to secure
briefings the chairs of both the house and senate intelligence committees say they believe president assad has crossed the so-called red line in the civil war. >> i think the days are becoming more desperate, the regime is more desperate. we know where the chemical weapons are. it's not a secret that they're there. and i think the probabilities are very high that we're going into some very dark times. and i think the white house needs to be prepared. >> i have a high probability to...
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Mar 21, 2013
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terms of what the outside world is prepared to do against the regime of president bashar al-ass al-assad. but we're not there yet. and it's something that we all have to sit back. the challenge is syria over the next year as we wait to see what happens with the diplomatic situation on iran, what the other alternatives are. that syria will be the one that given the fact you have these challenges to the syrian people will be the one that both sides have to make a stand on. >> let me ask you very briefly. we're almost out of time. do you think that the anniversary of iraq with all this bluster from cheney and from rums field who are unrepentant in their opinion that we did the right thing. do you think the faux pas that we made that makes us very careful about talking about chemical weapons and there forewhat we do? >> i would say yes. and i would recognize that as one of the few actual benefits of the iraq war. it has made us much more cautious about making these kind of claims and deploying troops as we did in iraq. >> the u.s. has neither the will or the interest in investing in a third
terms of what the outside world is prepared to do against the regime of president bashar al-ass al-assad. but we're not there yet. and it's something that we all have to sit back. the challenge is syria over the next year as we wait to see what happens with the diplomatic situation on iran, what the other alternatives are. that syria will be the one that given the fact you have these challenges to the syrian people will be the one that both sides have to make a stand on. >> let me ask you...
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Mar 19, 2013
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part of the ongoing recessment of what the united states can do to steer syria toward a post assad transition. >> back to israelis and their concerns about president obama, does the president need to simply establish the roots, the ancient jewish claim to this strip of land here? some in israel saying we're not so sure. >> well, certainly. i think that the president has not reached out to the israeli people in ways perhaps his predecessors have. and i think this is an opportunity to kind of reestablish the kind of rapport the israeli people traditionally want to have and need to have with an american president that they have confidence that he has israel's back. the fact is that there has been very significant and deep cooperation institutionally between the united states and israel. probably a more stable, successful relationship than ever before. but there is this lack of rapport between obama and the israeli people. and he'll do his best to reach out. one of the reasons he is speaking to college students and not at the knesset is to go beyond the government and try to establish a much more
part of the ongoing recessment of what the united states can do to steer syria toward a post assad transition. >> back to israelis and their concerns about president obama, does the president need to simply establish the roots, the ancient jewish claim to this strip of land here? some in israel saying we're not so sure. >> well, certainly. i think that the president has not reached out to the israeli people in ways perhaps his predecessors have. and i think this is an opportunity to...
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i think assad must go, and i believe he will go. it is incorrect for you to say that we have done nothing. we have helped to mobilize isolation of the assad regime internationally. we have supported and recognized the opposition. we have provided hundreds of millions of dollars in support for humanitarian aid. we have worked diligently with other countries in the region to provide additional tools to move towards a political transition within syria. if your suggestion is that i have not acted unilaterally, inside syria, the response has been, or my response would be, that to the ex tept possible, i want to make sure we are working as an international commune it to deal with this problem. because i think it is a world problem. not simply a united states problem. or an israel problem. or a turkish problem. for it is a world problem. when tens of thousands of people are being slaughtered, including innocent women and children. and so we will continue to work in an international framework to try to bring about the kind of change that is
i think assad must go, and i believe he will go. it is incorrect for you to say that we have done nothing. we have helped to mobilize isolation of the assad regime internationally. we have supported and recognized the opposition. we have provided hundreds of millions of dollars in support for humanitarian aid. we have worked diligently with other countries in the region to provide additional tools to move towards a political transition within syria. if your suggestion is that i have not acted...
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el assad because he's increasingly irrelevant here. but if his regime use or transfers chemical weapons that there will be an escalation. he didn't say necessarily a military response. >> right. now, to another key issue, richard, the president called it a hard slog toward mideast peace and a two-state solution. he vowed to say more on the subject tomorrow. but how far are we from even restarting israeli/palestinian peace talks much less reaching a deal and can you describe for us how frustrating it is for the people in that region? >> that's a big question. the first one, we're very far from a two-state israeli/palestinian solution. the israelis and palestinians are barely talking. they are not -- the populations aren't interacting anymore. there is a massive wall between the two of them in the west bank, the palestinians and the israelis in israel proper. people of gaza effectively are pinned in and can't interact with either population. so there doesn't seem to be much momentum at all to create an israeli/palestinian solution just h
el assad because he's increasingly irrelevant here. but if his regime use or transfers chemical weapons that there will be an escalation. he didn't say necessarily a military response. >> right. now, to another key issue, richard, the president called it a hard slog toward mideast peace and a two-state solution. he vowed to say more on the subject tomorrow. but how far are we from even restarting israeli/palestinian peace talks much less reaching a deal and can you describe for us how...
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hezbollah is destroying lebanon and supporting the brutal massacre of the syrian people by president assad. fortunately, the nuclear capacity was destroyed. unfortunately, the arsenal of chemical weapons remain. we cannot -- those weapons to fall in the terrorist hands. it could lead to an epic tragedy. there was an attempt to bring spring to the arab world. it is an arab choice, it is an arab initiative. it may bring peace to the region, freedom to the people, economic growth to the upstates. if realized, it can lead to a better tomorrow. we pray it will become a reality. i believe the real division is between skeptics and those who believe in peace. your voice will encourage belief. you came to us with a clear message that no one should let skepticism win the day. a vision that says clearly that peace is not only a wish but a possibility. i fully support your call. there is no other way to make the future better. there's no better leader to make it possible. your visit is an historic step in that direction. we shall journey with you all the way. thank you. >> thank you so much. well, tha
hezbollah is destroying lebanon and supporting the brutal massacre of the syrian people by president assad. fortunately, the nuclear capacity was destroyed. unfortunately, the arsenal of chemical weapons remain. we cannot -- those weapons to fall in the terrorist hands. it could lead to an epic tragedy. there was an attempt to bring spring to the arab world. it is an arab choice, it is an arab initiative. it may bring peace to the region, freedom to the people, economic growth to the upstates....
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Mar 23, 2013
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obama keeps saying it's not matter of if but when president assad leaves. that's not really so sure. looking at the what's happening on the ground, the breakup of syria is more likely rather than a clear victory of one side winning or losing and president assad leaving the country altogether. so it's really a matter of the next step. what happens after whatever happens in syria. the threat is to the region. the countries on the borders of syria. turkey has its problems. jordan could well have its problems very soon. lebanon. so it's a very -- it's a situation that's very volatile. syria has been imploding and the fear, of course, is that it will explode. america's options -- what it needs to do is help the region formulate some kind of way of dealing with the problem inside syria. american troops on the ground very unlikely, but, of course, there are already special forces, american special forces, british special forces, and i believe french special forces inside jordan training the resistance against president assad. so there is something going on, but ho
obama keeps saying it's not matter of if but when president assad leaves. that's not really so sure. looking at the what's happening on the ground, the breakup of syria is more likely rather than a clear victory of one side winning or losing and president assad leaving the country altogether. so it's really a matter of the next step. what happens after whatever happens in syria. the threat is to the region. the countries on the borders of syria. turkey has its problems. jordan could well have...
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he wants assad to survive. you have many of the same sectarian underpinnings that were the ingredients of the last sectarian tension coming back to life. >> why is the relationship with. >> maliki feels under siege. we had leverage when we said we will help stabilize this country even though the war is over. we will maintain security forces to help with training, help with counterterrorism and her play a sort of back inderal to the forces. 10,000 troops and gave us leverage. if he is not there and we are feeling under siege the only people sending in forces and money is the iranian gochlt. >> government. >> is he worried about a coup? >> he is worried about partially sunni driven from 2006 and that is a threat to the shiite control of the iraqi government. >> is he worried about people are going to march into his office and say you're no longer in charge? >> i think he is partially politically but more concerned what is looking throughout the region. the arab spring. when you have the sectarian elements there i
he wants assad to survive. you have many of the same sectarian underpinnings that were the ingredients of the last sectarian tension coming back to life. >> why is the relationship with. >> maliki feels under siege. we had leverage when we said we will help stabilize this country even though the war is over. we will maintain security forces to help with training, help with counterterrorism and her play a sort of back inderal to the forces. 10,000 troops and gave us leverage. if he...
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. >> the president used the forum to deliver another stern warning to the assad regime in syria next door. >> we will not tolerate the use of chemical weapons against the syrian people or the transfer of those weapons to terrorists. the world is watching, we will hold you accountable. >> and he was cheered for his commitment on iran. >> america will do what we must to prevent a nuclear-armed iran. >> earlier in the west bank, president obama met with the palestinian president, mahmoud abbas. only hours after a stark reminder of the region's dangers as militants in gaza fired several rockets into southern israel. in ramallah today, the president also reversed course, no longer demanding that israel freeze settlements before peace talks resume on borders and israeli security. >> and that's not to say settlements are not important, it is to say that if we solve those two problems, the settlement problem will be solved. so i don't want to put the cart before the horse. >> and "meet the press," why is our own chuck todd pushing his luck with the president? >> chuck, you're just incorrigib
. >> the president used the forum to deliver another stern warning to the assad regime in syria next door. >> we will not tolerate the use of chemical weapons against the syrian people or the transfer of those weapons to terrorists. the world is watching, we will hold you accountable. >> and he was cheered for his commitment on iran. >> america will do what we must to prevent a nuclear-armed iran. >> earlier in the west bank, president obama met with the...
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he repeated his warning to the assad regime not to dare use chemical weapons, which are of course a direct threat to israel as well, saying that the united states will respond. and he made a very strong iron-clad commitment on iran, another thing that israelis want to hear. >> you know, interesting you mention the heckler and you talk about the charm offensive. i believe it has been called operation desert schmooze by "the atlantic." he handled that very well. he got some laughs when he said, i wouldn't feel comfortable here if i hadn't been heckled at least once during a speech. but andrea, the genesis of all of this, and really as you talk about this being the crux of this particular trip, peace is necessary, peace is just, peace is possible. do you think those are the sentiments that are truly reflected there in israel? do you think people believe that peace could be possible? is there any kind of a time frame that you ever hear people say, if only this could happen, that could happen? >> israel is prosperous, but israel is now threatened by all of the changes in the world around it. it
he repeated his warning to the assad regime not to dare use chemical weapons, which are of course a direct threat to israel as well, saying that the united states will respond. and he made a very strong iron-clad commitment on iran, another thing that israelis want to hear. >> you know, interesting you mention the heckler and you talk about the charm offensive. i believe it has been called operation desert schmooze by "the atlantic." he handled that very well. he got some laughs...
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are looking into the allegations and white house press secretary jay carney issued a warning to the assad regime. >> we have no evidence to substantiate the charge that the opposition has used chemical weapons. we are deeply skeptical of a regime has lost all credibility and warn the regime against making these kind of charges as any kind of pretext or cover for its use of chemical weapons. >> neither side of the conflict has provided documentation that chemical agents have been used. senator lindsey graham spoke about the allegations telling foreign policy that quote this. we need to come up with a plan to secure these weapons sites either in conjunction with our partners or, if nothing else, by ourselves. if the choice is to send in troops to secure the weapons sites versus allowing chemical weapons to get in the hands of some of the most violent people in the world, i vote to cut this off before it becomes a problem. but following intelligence briefings, the chairs of both the house and senate intelligence committee said they believe president bashar al assad has crossed the so-called
are looking into the allegations and white house press secretary jay carney issued a warning to the assad regime. >> we have no evidence to substantiate the charge that the opposition has used chemical weapons. we are deeply skeptical of a regime has lost all credibility and warn the regime against making these kind of charges as any kind of pretext or cover for its use of chemical weapons. >> neither side of the conflict has provided documentation that chemical agents have been...
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so when bashar al assad goes, and the government believes ultimately he will, those institutions, those governing bodies will be necessary for the day after. for those people who are left holding the bag, what has become basically a sectarian war, to put back a government. it is a critical lesson and a police take we cannot ever make again. >> as we look back and relitigate the war in iraq, i think it is easy to say on its face, it was a clear mistake and we'll never do this again, how could we do this. let's not forget that. a lot of democrats voted for this war. including hillary clinton. that's what i want to ask you about it. she voted for the iraq war resolution in 2002. 2007, refused to see that vote as a police take. she has defended that since. i'm wondering if you think that is going to be a political problem for her. in 2016 if she ends up running. >> let me say a couple things. having been in the white house i realize how hard it is to govern and to make these national security decisions. it is not black and white and it never is. it never will be. i have more sympathy for th
so when bashar al assad goes, and the government believes ultimately he will, those institutions, those governing bodies will be necessary for the day after. for those people who are left holding the bag, what has become basically a sectarian war, to put back a government. it is a critical lesson and a police take we cannot ever make again. >> as we look back and relitigate the war in iraq, i think it is easy to say on its face, it was a clear mistake and we'll never do this again, how...
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. >> anything that supports president assad is problematic. and i made it very clear to the prime minister that the overflights from iran are, in fact, helping to sustain president assad. there are members of congress and people in america who increasingly are watching what iraq is doing, and wondering how it is that a partner in the efforts for democracy and a partner for whom americans feel they have tried so hard to be helpful, how that country can be, in fact, doing something that makes it more difficult to achieve our common goals. >> nbc's mike taibbi is live for us in akabul, afghanistan. mike, let's talk. this is not a photo op. this is some tough talk from john kerry. how is it being received? >> well, it has been tough talk from secretary of state john kerry, and you wonder how spirited the discussions are going to be with afghan president hamid karzai. they're meeting and now there will be a joint press conference later. the two men know each other. kerry has made five previous trips here when he was a senator. but there have been s
. >> anything that supports president assad is problematic. and i made it very clear to the prime minister that the overflights from iran are, in fact, helping to sustain president assad. there are members of congress and people in america who increasingly are watching what iraq is doing, and wondering how it is that a partner in the efforts for democracy and a partner for whom americans feel they have tried so hard to be helpful, how that country can be, in fact, doing something that...
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but we're not doing much to help them win their war against assad and that's what they're identifying. >> thank you so much. >> sure, chris. >> for your insights today. always great to have you on the program. >> thanks. >>> it's back to school for 15-year-old malalah. shot in the head in october. it's been just a few weeks since malala had her latest surgery to repair her skull. she says she misses her classmates back in pakistan but looking forward to going to school in the uk. >> i think it is the happiest moment that i'm going back to my school. and today i will have my books, my bag and i will talk to my friends. i will talk to my teacher. and i think there's no important day than this day. s ] you're probably muddling through allergies. try zyrtec® for powerful allergy relief. and zyrtec® is different than claritin® because it starts working faster on the first day you take it. zyrtec® love the air. on the first day you take it. when you lost the thing you can't believe you lost.. when what you just bought, just broke. or when you have a little trouble a long way from home..
but we're not doing much to help them win their war against assad and that's what they're identifying. >> thank you so much. >> sure, chris. >> for your insights today. always great to have you on the program. >> thanks. >>> it's back to school for 15-year-old malalah. shot in the head in october. it's been just a few weeks since malala had her latest surgery to repair her skull. she says she misses her classmates back in pakistan but looking forward to going to...
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they continue to call for assad to step down. >> i assume, kristen, prime minister netanyahu is going to press the president on syria as much as he will on the issue of iran, given developments today. >> reporter: absolutely. syria, iran, i think that president obama when he speaks to prime minister netanyahu will go there with the intent of making it very clear that the united states is committed to preventing iran from getting a nuclear weapon, to making sure that the violence in syria is contained. that will be one of his key messages i am told. of course, they will address the issue of the israeli/palestinian stalled peace process right now. the president, of course, wanted to have progress on that during his first term. he didn't, so we expect that to be a big topic of conversation as well. i can tell you that what is interesting, prime minister netanyahu has used a slightly more conciliatory tone in terms of talking about palestinians in recent days. talking about the fact that he is potentially open to compromise, so the white house is heartened by that, but they're also tampin
they continue to call for assad to step down. >> i assume, kristen, prime minister netanyahu is going to press the president on syria as much as he will on the issue of iran, given developments today. >> reporter: absolutely. syria, iran, i think that president obama when he speaks to prime minister netanyahu will go there with the intent of making it very clear that the united states is committed to preventing iran from getting a nuclear weapon, to making sure that the violence in...
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so he basically, even though he's not terrible sympathetic with assad politically, assad staying in power is very important for maliki's domestic politics because he fears a takeover by the rebels would actually lead to rebellion fact. the message from kerry was pretty tough. that congress is losing patience with iraq and that maliki will not have any role in the political decisions to come once assad falls with this pll political transition being worked out with international leaders, if he continues to help iran prop up assad. >> there are reports also that the head of the syrian opposition coalition reports that he resigned this post at some point today. what do we know about that, and what kind of complications could that present for the united states and its allies? >> reporter: it is a complication, because he quit today. it was not unexpected, said kerry. not surprising, but he said he felt sad about it, because he felt personally connected to him. he liked him a lot. this is the man with whom kerry met only a few weeks ago in rome arguing that he should accept non-lethal aid, trai
so he basically, even though he's not terrible sympathetic with assad politically, assad staying in power is very important for maliki's domestic politics because he fears a takeover by the rebels would actually lead to rebellion fact. the message from kerry was pretty tough. that congress is losing patience with iraq and that maliki will not have any role in the political decisions to come once assad falls with this pll political transition being worked out with international leaders, if he...
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an ally of assad. regime of damascus. or opposition groups that may be outside the realm of what the intelligence community knows about. this information is shared and israelis said they would react again and have reacted by military in lebanon. beth parties are very concerned about what is happening in syria and of course chemical weapons are first among them. i think this is a very volatile situation that could develop any week as we saw yesterday with the latest report. >> andrea mitchell was reporting how this could be a new beginning for netanyahu and obama. how there was more warmth between them or less after chill between them might be a better way of phrasing it. but i wonder to the extent that true, how much do you think that has to do with the simple fact that obama was re-elected last year? so much of the frostiness in the first term seemed to be na netanyahu was basically betting that obama would be a one-term president. betting on romney victory. here is the re-elected more confident and assertive obama makin
an ally of assad. regime of damascus. or opposition groups that may be outside the realm of what the intelligence community knows about. this information is shared and israelis said they would react again and have reacted by military in lebanon. beth parties are very concerned about what is happening in syria and of course chemical weapons are first among them. i think this is a very volatile situation that could develop any week as we saw yesterday with the latest report. >> andrea...
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so i think the concern of the president and his administration is not just to see that assad's regime ends but also to see that there is not a truly violent and horrific civil conflict and a continuing disarray after he leaves office with more death, more destruction, and the absence of democratic institutions. not an easy task. >> no, not at all. senator, let's talk about the buzz that's out there regarding president obama's trip. it was a glowing success in israel but it was for the palestinians. how do you read it? >> well, of course, the objectives and expectations were limited and i think the white house wisely did that because there was no prospect for an immediate breakthrough. but i think the president did a good job at reaching several target audiences. first and foremost, the people of israel whose support will be necessary for any government that takes actions that are needed to bring the conflict to an end. second to the palestinian leadership and to their people in making clear that the united states, while fully committed to israel's security, is also fully committed to
so i think the concern of the president and his administration is not just to see that assad's regime ends but also to see that there is not a truly violent and horrific civil conflict and a continuing disarray after he leaves office with more death, more destruction, and the absence of democratic institutions. not an easy task. >> no, not at all. senator, let's talk about the buzz that's out there regarding president obama's trip. it was a glowing success in israel but it was for the...
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the hard he it is to put it back together again when the conflict ends and assuming that assad steps aside. however, translating that political imperative into discreet military steps and actions is actually quite difficult. in has been a lot of talk. john mccain has talked repeatedly over the last two years about establishing a no-fly zone. that involves an act of war that brings the united states as a combatant into the syrian civil war. it may well become necessary but it is not a step that you must take lightly. somebody else in congress has suggested, insert american forces to guard the chemical weapons sites. i mean, one of the driving factors in military action is forced protection. how are you going to protect these discreet elements? we think we can define it politically as a narrow mission but in fact, the net result is bringing the united states as a full combatant into this conflict. >> and do we even know where all the sites are at this point? >> the united states knows where the sites are, yes. the united states is saying we're monitoring these situations and we have co
the hard he it is to put it back together again when the conflict ends and assuming that assad steps aside. however, translating that political imperative into discreet military steps and actions is actually quite difficult. in has been a lot of talk. john mccain has talked repeatedly over the last two years about establishing a no-fly zone. that involves an act of war that brings the united states as a combatant into the syrian civil war. it may well become necessary but it is not a step that...
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intelligence believes chemical weapons have been used, but he seemed to issue the assad regime a warning. >> we have to make sure that we know exactly what happened, what was the nature of the incident, what can we document, what can we prove. so i have instructed my teams to work closely with all other countries in the region and international organizations and institutions to find out precisely whether or not this red line was crossed. once we establish the facts, i have made clear that the use of chemical weapons is a game-changer. >> reporter: so, chris, the big takeaway of this trip if it ended today is this, the united states and israel are more on the same diplomatic page than ever before on iran. when iran would get nuclear weapons and what the response would be if there's proof that they're pursuing them. two, we're a long ways away from even getting middle east peace negotiations in the talking phase, but there's optimism that at least there may be an attempt to have everybody agree, okay, no preconditions and everybody will sit down. and then of course you heard that syria thr
intelligence believes chemical weapons have been used, but he seemed to issue the assad regime a warning. >> we have to make sure that we know exactly what happened, what was the nature of the incident, what can we document, what can we prove. so i have instructed my teams to work closely with all other countries in the region and international organizations and institutions to find out precisely whether or not this red line was crossed. once we establish the facts, i have made clear that...
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reiterate the united states will try to continue to isolate syria and to make sure that at some point assad does step down from power soon. so i think those are two of the key issues you're going to hear him talk about. also, martin, this is not just a trip to talk to the leaders. according to a recent poll in israel, 10% of israelis view the president favorably. so i thing hek he's going thereo to send a message to the people of israel that he does, in fact, stand with them and change that perception that they have of him and the united states. martin? >> nbc's kristen welker, thank you so much. >>> the reminder nbc news and msnbc will have comprehensive coverage of the president's trip throughout the week. >>> next, the nra reveals its true masters. stay with us. hey, our salads. [ bop ] [ bop ] [ bop ] you can do that all you want, i don't like v8 juice. [ male announcer ] how about v8 v-fusion. a full serving of vegetables, a full serving of fruit. but what you taste is the fruit. so even you... could've had a v8. twenty-five thousand mornings, give or take, is all we humans get. we spe
reiterate the united states will try to continue to isolate syria and to make sure that at some point assad does step down from power soon. so i think those are two of the key issues you're going to hear him talk about. also, martin, this is not just a trip to talk to the leaders. according to a recent poll in israel, 10% of israelis view the president favorably. so i thing hek he's going thereo to send a message to the people of israel that he does, in fact, stand with them and change that...
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. >> what assad has done in syria is way worse than what's happening. >> no. let's not equalize them. but it's to make clear that the u.s. doesn't necessarily step in. >> it makes strategic calculations about what its interests are. but in the case of syria the worrying thing about the situation in syria, the first wave of this, particularly tunisia which was entirely nonviolent, the egyptian revolt which was nonviolent although skirmishes and different forms of violence, to the syrian movement which began as nonviolent and faced such massive brutal horrific massacres has armed themselves and has become a long bloody civil war that has profound regional consequences and fear of spilling out and hezbollah looms large. >> wish we had more historical depth how we look at this. this is the third arab state to be devastated by a civil war. without pointing fingers of blame, lebanon for 15 years was devastated by civil war. foreign armies, foreign intelligence services. after the u.s. invasion in 2003 iraq went through a different but similar process. >> let's point
. >> what assad has done in syria is way worse than what's happening. >> no. let's not equalize them. but it's to make clear that the u.s. doesn't necessarily step in. >> it makes strategic calculations about what its interests are. but in the case of syria the worrying thing about the situation in syria, the first wave of this, particularly tunisia which was entirely nonviolent, the egyptian revolt which was nonviolent although skirmishes and different forms of violence, to...
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contrast to kerry's visit to iraq where he confronted prime minister maliki for helping iran rearm the assad regime in syria. kerry has been on a diplomatic marathon. israel, jordan, iraq, back to jordan for a secret dinner with pakistan's powerful army chief of staff. >> we'll talk about hamid karzai in that minute. but what's the significance of that transfer to the afghan government? >> it's significant and for a couple different reasons. one is that it shows the acceleration of the redeployment of troops is going to happen quickly because a lot of troops were actually there to maintain a lot of the prison facilities, the bases at bagram, the most built out facilities that we have inside of afghanistan. it shows a level of seriousness about how fast this redeployment is going to happen. it really tries to establish a sense of nationalistic identity within afghanistan. because part of the challenge of president karzai ever since he's been the president there is that he's been not much more than the mayor of kabul. his fear and influence has not stretched out into particularly the rural are
contrast to kerry's visit to iraq where he confronted prime minister maliki for helping iran rearm the assad regime in syria. kerry has been on a diplomatic marathon. israel, jordan, iraq, back to jordan for a secret dinner with pakistan's powerful army chief of staff. >> we'll talk about hamid karzai in that minute. but what's the significance of that transfer to the afghan government? >> it's significant and for a couple different reasons. one is that it shows the acceleration of...
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the russians are still firmly backing assad and don't think this is the time to switch. the alternatives in terms of arming the rebels is really all that the west is now looking at but they still have these reservations that if you give arms to elements of the rebels, how do you know that they don't end up in the hands of the extremis extremists? if america is going to dictate what happens in the future in syria, it needs to have a place at the table. it needs to be able to be part of the discussion and i suspect that will eventually lead to america taking part with a coalition in giving small arms to syrian rebels. >> ron, it's fascinating, that the president goes to israel without a peace plan in his back pocket or without any hopes of a peace plan in his back pocket. almost unprecedented. does this tell us how important iran is now, not only to the united states, but also, of course, to a much more closely to israel? >> i think it's always been the largest issue in the middle east, what is going to happen to iran the last few years. i think we knew we would end newspa
the russians are still firmly backing assad and don't think this is the time to switch. the alternatives in terms of arming the rebels is really all that the west is now looking at but they still have these reservations that if you give arms to elements of the rebels, how do you know that they don't end up in the hands of the extremis extremists? if america is going to dictate what happens in the future in syria, it needs to have a place at the table. it needs to be able to be part of the...
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closer and closer to some sort of multilateral action, particularly if there is a confirmation that the assad regime in syria has used chemical weapons in violation of international law and basic humanitarian rights. i think it was vital that president obama went to israel at this critical moment. it was a great speech and reaffirmation of a fundamental relationship in particular that he recognized that israel is a jewish home land and a right to exist and self-defense in face of both a iranian nuclear weapons program. it is a very unstable situation in syria and in the region. this was a vital important moment for president obama, both to reassure the israeli people that we are their most vital ally, that we have an unshakeable relationship but also to urge forward a peace process that could help stabilize the region. >> dr. brzezinski, off of what senator coons just said, we have this decades old issue of trying to come up with a peace settlement within israel. yet, right now, the area, the fuses around israel so volatile and fast burning. syria, jordan, iran, egypt. talk about the degree o
closer and closer to some sort of multilateral action, particularly if there is a confirmation that the assad regime in syria has used chemical weapons in violation of international law and basic humanitarian rights. i think it was vital that president obama went to israel at this critical moment. it was a great speech and reaffirmation of a fundamental relationship in particular that he recognized that israel is a jewish home land and a right to exist and self-defense in face of both a iranian...